A thing of beauty.

Lovely work Mike,

thanks mate



cheers,


Pobs

Hi Mike

Looking really good!

Cheers

Awesome!

Very nice.

Got to like the big bombers.



Moggy DCM

The first vic in the box is finished.

LD-W
LD-Y
LD-O

They look 'war-weary'! Great Work!

Regards,

J. P. Kelly

Hi Mike,

Will be worth waiting for - great work.

Peter

100thBG.txt

Base Skin and model credits Read.Me

Credits. Big thanks go to -
Col. Gibbon for the original HR-B-17 3dz, and for some of it's textures.
+mia for the use of some textures, and the BUMP I needed to finish this.
Mosi for another timely BUMP,
Illu for the radio wire idea,
Charles, Andy + Pobs for the transparent shadow idea.
Sandbagger (in advance!) for hosting the skin.
RAF Dumoulin for putting me onto the book named below.
Mr Johnson for discovering how to fix the HR engine shutdown issues.
3dz mods, skin, and base model readme John "Chompy" Masters

100th Bomb Group skins "Iron Mike" Pluhar January, 2010

418th Bomb Squadron (Heavy) Thorpe Abbotts, U.K. 1943-45

LD-W (230758) "Rosie's Riveters" Lt.Robert Rosenthal 31 Aug, 1943 - 04 Feb, 1944
FTR* Flak Wiesbaden, Germany 10 POW

LD-Y (237790) "(Ain't) Miss Behavin" 27 Sept, 1943 - 20 Feb, 1944 FTR Flak/Fighters
Harslev, Denmark 9 POW

LD-O (230062) "Rilley's Racehorse" Lt. Arthur Scoggins 06 Jan, 1943 - 10 Feb, 1944
FTR Fighters Hannover, Germany 9 POW

LD-D (239994) "Snort Stuff" Lt. Samuel Barrack 15 December, 1943 - 6 March, 1944,
FTR Fighters Interned Bultofta, Sweeden 10 Interned


*FTR - Failed To Return

More to come...

LD-X (230152) "Messie Bessie" 31 May - 7 November, 1943 retired battle damage

And...

LD-S (230063) "Picklepuss" Capt. Robert Knox 1,June - 17, August, 1943
FTR Fighters Exploded 4 POW Schmalgraft (?)


And...

LD-Z (26087) "Royal Flush" 2nd.Lt. Alf Aske Jr. 4 September,1943 - 11 August,1944
FTR Flak 5 POW

LD-P (23508) "Bast--d's Bungalow" 2nd Lt. Robert Horn 24 August,1943 - 18 March, 1944
FTR Fighters Crash landed Ulm, Germany 10 POW

LD-U (230066) "Mugwump" 1 June,1943 - 30 October,1944
FTR

Next will be the 351st Bomb Group...

Excellent work Iron Mike! I struggled to get the right colours of green on my B-17's, but it looks like those days are finally over The new shades of green you've used really set these apart from the crowd. **edit - although I have to admit that they look very authentic in black and white.) /edit**

And, something I've never seen before - B-17 F's and B-17 G's in the same formation!!! Really impressive Looking forward to seeing the rest!

Chompy

Wow!

Chompy Sir!

Are you going to return to the fold?

24bit skins certainly do make the differance, don't they.

Duh...uh...mamumm....Chompy! abba...ah...

The second vic in the 481th's box is finished...

I remember a discussion with Chompy when he skinned a B-17 with a bare-metal replacement wing. A beautiful skin, but I said that the whole squadron would feature this wing in EAW which would look strange imo.

These days are over, obviously - congrats, Mike

Which variations would be possible within a B-17 squadron? I notice you skinned some re-painting of damaged parts which adds alot to the immersion. Btw, did bare-matal and olive drab versions fly side by side?

Hi Fran Zee.

During late 44 they did fly mixed versions. Both fighters and bombers by this time new production aircraft lost the green camo, in favor of ally finish.

Fran, Col Gibbin look at these photos, from several oop books...

Yeah, those mixed formations are looking gorgeous.

To be honest, I´d prefer the silver birds - they´re a better aim for my eyes

Not to worry gentlemen, the 349th and 350th Bomb Groups will be silver B17Gs and complete the 100th.

The 418th is finished. Next comes the 351st to finish the 24-bit Mid-War B17 Group.

A little bit of history of some of Mike's skins.

42-102397 MUGWUMP
http://forum.armyairforces.com/tm.aspx?m=60565

42-3508 BAS-TARD'S BUNGLOW II
http://www.100thbg.com/mainpages/crews/crews1/horn1.htm

B-17F 42-6087 ROYAL FLUSH
http://www.usaaf-noseart.co.uk/misslist-6087.htm

42-39994 SNORT STUFF
http://user.tninet.se/~vwu458u/american/b_dixon.htm

MESSIE BESSIE?
http://www.usaaf-noseart.co.uk/white-boots.htm

42-30063 PICKLEPUSS
http://www.100thbg.com/mainpages/crews/crews1/knox.htm

42-37790 Ain't Miss Behavin
http://www.flensted.eu.com/1944019.shtml

42-30758 Rosie's Riveters
http://www.100thbg.com/mainpages/crews/crews1/kinder.htm

42-30062 Reilly's Racehorse
http://www.100thbg.com/mainpages/crews/crews2/reilly.htm

Thaks Col. for providing an in depth look at the 418th. Next up is the 351st, since a unit has a max of 16 it will only have 6 planes from the squadron. In practice the units flew with 18 to 24 aircraft per Group box.

Notice how I have added the proper nose windows on the F models...


OT...Snetterton was a favorite race coues in the 50's and 60's for open wheel racing. I've driven it since Geoff Crammonds' REVS plus 4 up to Grand Prix Legends...


P.S. I'm giving a small bio on each aircraft and crew on page 1 of this thread.

The second part of the '43-4 mainly F model squadron is the 351st Bomb Squadron (Heavy)














351st Bomb Squadron


EP-A (25864) "Piccadilly Lilly" Capt.Thomas Murphy 31 May - 8 October, 1943
FTR Flak Aircraft exploded Bremen, Germany 5 POW

EP-D (230057) "Raunchy" Capt. Sam Turner 31 May - 6 September, 1943
FTR Fighters crash landed Lake Constance, Switzerland 9 Interned

EP-F (230080) "High Life" Lt. Donald Oaks Early May -31 May, 1943
FTR Fighters Crash landed Dubendorf, Switzerland 10 Interned


*FTR - Failed To Return

There has been a rather nasty bump in the road here. My hard drive has been scrambled. I'm working on restoration but it may take some time. My most recent work the (100thBG) is amoungst the casualties.

IT IS GONE??

I hope not!

I really don't quite know exactly what is left. The folder with the 100th was pretty much trashed. As was the Paint Shop folder. I'm trying to recover the data. But, I don't know what is left.

Hi Mike.

I hope you manage to get your computer problems sorted out quickly, and get back on track. I found a bit of history behind 2 of your skins, but "High Life" seems to be a bit of an unknown, other than loss date.

Piccadilly Lily 42-5864


Mike Note the correct name.


Raunchy 42-30057
http://www.usaaf-noseart.co.uk/misslist-30057.htm

There is a pic of Raunchy, being hauled out of a Swiss lake in this thread.
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=40899

Fingers crossed Mike.

Jel

I'll look at the nose but I think it was a typo in my post. "High Life" had a very short life with the 351st. She pretty much was posted to the squadron and was lost in a day or two after the posting. The feel I got was a very lucky crew though, they did survive a water landing.

Finally, as ya'll may have noticed, the operational life of these airmen was very short. No wonder the "Mephis Belle" was as celebrated as she was being the very first 17 to survive 25 bombing missions over enemy territory.

Back on line, one last 24-bit skin then the 8-bit version.







THe last vic in the box was the most dangerous...





EP-H (23386) "Marie Helena" 2nd LT Richard Gormley 22 August - 8 October, 1943
FTR MidAir FW190 Bremen 10 KIA

EP-B (23474) "King Bee" 30 August - 27 December, 1943
Landing Accident salvaged 31 January, 1944

Mike,
Wonderful job on the skins. I am 100% honest about my admeration (spelling) to your skinning work.

I have a question for the community though. (you just knew That Prick Al wouldn't post only a positive comment)

We have had B17s flying into the Oakland/Pontiac airport for the open house for several years now. What has always supprised me is how small these aircraft are in real life. I assume the 3dz is the correct size so I ask my question. Does the crew size make the aircraft seem too large in screen shots like (edit)IM?

I am only asking for an opinion because I have stood under and arround these aircraft and I am even now suprised how small this 4 engine bombers seem to me.

I'm not too sure about accurate scale size. These models are refined from the original models in EAW without any scale changes. I will have to assume that the various models are the correct base shape but perhaps not the correct measurements.

p.s. it is amazing just how small the compartments are inside a B17. Granted the aircrewmen were not 6 plus feet on average but closer to the 5'8" of a friends father who was a navigator.

Hi Allen.

When I did the WW1 bomber HP 400/1, it was as big as a B17, and yes that's not big by today's standard. EAW's B17 is about right in size, to the real thing, but scale in EAW is all wrong. The planes are scaled down, by the exe. Just about every other sim uses a constant scale for everything, which is something I'd like to see changed on day here too.

The 100th BG '43-44' will be finished and submitted to Talley-Ho by this coming Monday. That will leave a 'pure G unit' for '44-45' to be done.

The B17 multi-skin unit has been sent to Talley-Ho. Thanks to all for their patience.

:

The squadron is at my page at Talley-Ho now.

Great job Mike.

I love the B17's!!!!

My uncle Glenn Walker was about 6-foot, 7-inches or thereabouts (he struck his head on the door lintel of our house on a furlough home and was almost knocked out )

How he got into a B-17 as bombardier/navigator, I have no idea.
Having also seen inside the tight spaces of a "Flying Fortress", it seems impossible.
But he survived the war without serious injury (except for the head bump)

A sad note, my wifes's Uncle, Capt.Jack Price was a combat veteran 17 pilot who was killed training a replacement co-pilot in 1944. His machine crashed into an olive grove in Italy.

I remember reading a book written by a guy who finished his first B-17 tour in early 44, and went home being given the job of training up replacement pilots. After one particularly hair raising flight, he quit that job and went back to Europe to complete a second tour. He figured that he would have more chance of surviving Germans shooting at him, than he would trying to train American pilots!

Pretty sure it was - "Combat Crew" by John Comer. Would love to get hold of it again.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Combat-Crew-Story-Missions-Europe/dp/0751507962

BTW great job on the skins - just getting them now.

Chompy.

Thanks Chompy. It means a lot to hear from you. I had a good base model to start with and an excellent tool in the 'John "Chompy" Masters' skining tutorials. I recomend that anyone wanting to learn skinning should download it from Talley-Ho and study it.

IM, will be possible to get mixed formations? ( olive drab planes plus bare metal planes ). Or those formations never mixed in real life?

The pure "G" squadron will be a mix of green and aluminium skins since that is what happend in mid to late '44 till wars' end. That unit will be made of the 2 remaining squadrons from the 100th Bomb Group.

Great news! Can't wait to see some pics of the mixed formation!

The jpgs of the 349th and 350th Bomb Squadrons of the 100 Bomb Group (H) won't be viewable for a week or two. I'm finishing up RAF No.3 Squadron's Tempest V's. Ray is looking at the wing hardpoints for me.

I've started work on the pure "G" skins but will have to make a compromise on the skin's accuracy. That would be to move the position of the aircraft code letters. All the models I have found do not have the waist windows in the correct position or size. Perhaps if I put a skin together with the waist positions painted correctly Ray can change the models so the guns are in the new positions. We shall see. We shall see.

Doing more research, looks like some of the illustrations are off, so the changing models just may not be necessary

The 349th Bomb Squadron is being painted now. The first 4 are done.

XR-J "Mud In Yer Eye" 3 May - 11 October, 1944 FTR Fighters Schuieberg, Germany




XR-N "Once in a While" 26 Febuary - 9 November, 1944 FTR Saarbrucken, Germany




XR-H "Reluctant Dragon" 11 July - 30 November, 1944 formation accident




XR-G "Captain Crow" 20 January -7 May, 1944 Take off accident



I still need to adjust the following letter in the aluminum skins. It seems to be a bit low. More to come.

Great, Mike. I like your bleached-out olive drab with the freshly applied colour on the tail fins. Will provide great immersion!

Just checked some of my skins and both "Dreambaby" and "Arf & Arf" both have the staggered waist guns, if that's what you're after. If not, it's dead easy to move the gun barrels.




I also discovered that Arf & arf has the wrong .tpc files uploaded into it - it's only been like it for 5 years before I noticed it .... On a more positive note, it appears that I can still remember how to upload and link an image into a post

Iron Mike, It's always nice to hear that some of my stuff has been usefull to you guys, so thanks. I also learned from tutorials, so it was only fair to give something back. In the early days of EAW, Mosi was the skinning master and we were all aspiring to create skins half a good as his. It is thanks to his tutorials that a lot of us 'oldies' learned the best ways to create a nice skin.

I have heaps of different layered templates for various F and G models if you are interested in them. I think the placement of the waist and nose guns/windows is the main difference in most of them though. Keep up the good work!

Chompy

Thanks. And, yes I'm interested in the profiles. I've gone through those with the tutorials and used them to learn layering. In spite of repeated attempts I'm afraid that I still don't get 3dz stuff. Moving the barrels is one of the things that would be needed.

The later model G's waist windows were enclosed and the guns in a different position than in the current skins. (More in the middle of the window). It is a slight change but just painting them doesen't do the trick.

On the F's the upper turret was more a flat topped button shape.

You may notice that I tried to portray the differences in nose window and gun positions amoung the F's and early G's from the first set.

XR-F "Gold Brick" 26 November, 1943 - 1 June, 1945



XR-W "Terrible Termite" Pathfinder aircraft 1944



2nd box 349th Bomb Squadron

B17G 349th Bomb Squadron 100th Bomb Group (Heavy) 1943-45


XR-J 297834 Mud In Yer Eye

3 May/1944 Assigned to UK
11 September/1944 FTR - Fighters - Schuiedeberg, ?

Pilot: LT ORVILLE C EVERITT MACR: 08819
Crew: 7 KIA, 2 POW
*****************************************************

XR-N 231986 Once in'a While

26 Febuary/1944 Assigned to UK
9 November/1944 FTR - Saarbrucken, Germany, Crashed due to flak damage

Pilot: 2LT LEWIS C WILLIAMS MACR:
Crew: 1 KIA, 6 RMC, 2 WIA

*********************************************

XR-H 338011 The Reluctant Dragon

11 July/1944
30 November/1944 RFO- battle damage
1 December Salvaged

*******************************************

XR-G 238053 Cap'n Crow

20 January/1944 Assigned to UK
7 May/1944 TOA - Mechanical - Herringfleet Hall, UK - 2Lt Ralph W. Wright - 5 KIA, 5 RMC

****************************************************************

XR-F 237972 Gold Brick

26 November/1943 Assigned to UK
1 June/1945 Returned Zone of the Interior - Bradley

17 December/1945 Kingman, Arizona Scrapped

****************************************

XR-W 297696 Terrible Termite
349th pathfinder

*****************************

XR-A 231987 Shilaylee

9 March/1944 assigned to UK
31 December/1944 FTR MidAir with 338457 Rustringen, Germany
3kia 6pow Lt G Rojohn

*****************************

XR-B 2107230 Yehudi

21 April - 2 December,1944

Airframe damaged in spin salvaged 5 December

***********************************

XR-D 297806 Now An' Then

3 May/1944 Assigned to UK
11 September/1944 FTR - Fighters - Liepnitzsen, ? *1

Pilot: 2LT CHARLES E BAKER MACR: 08818
Crew: 6 KIA, 3 POW



*1 11 September/1944 was a bad day for the 349th with heavy losses.

The 349th is finished, now 6 from the 350th.



XR-A 'Shilaylee'


XR-B 'Yehudi'



XR-D 'Now An' Then'

For some reason, all the second section (Page 2 on my SimHQ browser)is blank. No text. No pics.
The first section is fine (where I have to write this).
So I am missing your great work, Mike.

It may have something to do with my sign-on problems that I have with SimHQ. But all else works fine.

The post shows fine here. Looks like you are still having a problem Wud.

Wud, its not blank, in browser scroll to the right ---> on that page, the reason is a crazy BBCode now on the 'full reply' page, that aligns images, very annoying!

Oh yes, blame Ralf.... His reply over the post was 9 gazillion characters in one line

Hi Ralf, thanks for the praise

IM,
I may not agree with every rivit, but your work continues to be exceptional.

Thanks.

The first of 6 from the 350th...

LN-T "Fletcher's Castoria" 27 September, 1943 - 21 Febuary, 1944 FTR




LN-Y "Heaven Sent"

9 January, 1944 - 6 Feburay, 1945 FTR Crash landed - Rochester, France




LN-Z 239934 "My Aching Back" 20 November, 1943 - 15 March, 1944 FTR- flak Watenbuttel, Germany

I've fixed the error in LN-Z so the stars are aligned.

And is the second and final box from the 350th.

LN-S 338315 "Little Dinah I'll Be Around"
9 July, 1944 - 2 June, 1945 Returned to Zone of the Interior




LN-J 48709 "Fire Ball Red" Pathfinder Aircraft
21 January - 20 October, 1945 Returned to Zone of the Interior




LN-E 2102611 "Boss Lady"
21 April - 7 June, 1944 NCS OW* - North Sea
10 KIS






*Non Combat Sortie Over Water



Next will be the conversion to 8-bit.

Turned 58 today.

Happy Birthday!!!

and we are getting the presents - where's the justice?????
Email inbound.

Yes Mike, Many Happy Retuns on your new Millsone, Sorry, that should be Milestone.

The 8 and 24 bit units are finished. There is an issue with the distance model though. They skins look good until the long range model kicks in then all the skins display as aluminium. It is being worked on. It usually is something simple. Hope to iron the problem out in a few days.

Looks as if the skin set will only use the primary long distance model so the squadron may have to be a compromise and all the planes will look silver at distance. More later.

For now the long distance model will have all the skins the same color. Hopefully a future exe will fix this so I'll send the squadrons to Talley-Ho as they stand now.